Pull-strip opening means

ABSTRACT

A tinned-food can which can be opened manually by the consumer without the aid of a key or a tool, comprising a body and a spigoting lid, the joint being covered by a metal strip less than one-tenth of a millimeter thick welded or bonded to the edge of the lid and to the wall of the can body.

Jan. 25,1972

ilniled States Patent Lehlnie References Cited [54] PULL-STRIP OPENING MEANS [72] Inventor:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Michel Leblois, Quimper, France 3 5w 0 mm 2 "2 WM t e "m k w n a 70 67 99 11 06 1 Assignee: Societe Metallurgique de Douarnenez, Douarnenez (Finistere), France Nov. 20, 1969 Primary ExaminerGeorge T. Hall Att0rney-Lester Horwitz [22] Filed:

[21] Appl.No.:

[57] ABSTRACT A tinned-food can which can be opened manuall sumer witheut the aid of a key or a tool and a spigoting lid, the joint bein than one-tenth of a millimeter [30] Foreign Application Priority Data y by the con comprising a body g covered by a metal strip less thick welded or bonded to the edge ofthe lid and to the wall ofthe can body.

mh c r 9 "a 1 e a S 9 I. 2 l v Cd 0 MM N IF Hod 55 ll 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PULL-STRIP OPENING MEANS The present invention relates to sealed metal containers of any shape whatsoever, capable of being autoclaved, and more particularly to canned-food containers made of tin, and has for its object to enable the same to be opened manually by the consumer without the aid of a key or a tool.

A can according to this invention comprises a body portion and a lid spigoted into each other, and a very thin metal strip welded to the body and to the lid so as to form a leaktight joint therebetween.

The lid and body portion of the can, as well as the strip, are made of tin, the thickness of the strip generally lying between one-twentieth and one-tenth of a millimeter. The choice of the strip thickness depends on the nature of the steel used for the strip, it being necessary for the latter to have very little rigidi ty.

This metal strip, which is intended to be removed manually by the consumer, must be so welded to the body and the lid as to allow the two welds to be separated, since it is essential that, following removal of the strip, separation of the lid and the can should not be prevented by a continuity of the weld between these two elements. Such separation of the two welds can be obtained either by applying the weld only along the two edges of the strip, or else by adopting a configuration for the can elements such that ripping off of the strip automatically breaks up any possible continuity in the weld, or again by a combination of these two methods.

By comparison with a can which is double-crimped or which requires unsticking, the advantages of a can devised as above are the following:

Manual opening without any kind of instrument.

Total opening, with resulting improved release of the contents due to elimination ofthe unsticking edge.

The possibility for the consumer of temporarily reclosing the can with the lid if its contents have not been completely consumed.

Elimination of the risk of injury since the thin strip does not represent a cutting hazard.

No special precautions to be taken by the canning plant.

The description which follows the reference to the accompanying nonlimitative exemplary drawings will give a clear understanding of how the invention can be carried into practice:

In the drawings:

FIGS. I and 4 are side elevation views in partial axial section of two embodiments of a can according to the invention; and

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the inside face of a strip section according to two possible forms of embodiment.

In FIG. l, the can body is formed by a lateral wall (substantially cylindrical in the illustrated example) and a bottom 2 which is crimped on at 3 after filling has taken place at the canning plant, in the manner well known per se. The lateral wall 1 is formed with a reduced edge l opposite the crimping 3, and the lateral wall 5 of a lid 6 engages over the reduced edge 4.

Over the joint between lateral wall I and lateral wall 5, a very thin metal strip 7 has its two edges welded respectively to the rim 5 of lid 6 and to the lateral wall I of the can body. This metal strip circles the can and is made with a slight extra length to form a gripping tab II. In order to make this gripping tab easily identifiable and make it easier to grip, its tip may possibly be suitably marked or shaped.

As shown in FIG. 2, the weld is applied without special precautions along the strip 7, and the latter is coated along its middle with an insulating coating 9, such as a varnish, to prevent the weld from being effective therealong and causing undesirable direct joining of the rim 5 of the lid with the lateral wall I of the can body.

In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 3, weld seams 8a, 8b, are applied along either edge of the strip 7, a gap being left between the two seams.

Lastly, as reference to FIG. 4 shows, the same result can be obtained with a metal strip 7 devoid of insulating substance 9 and a ed weld seams 8a, 8b, b rovidin an em t s ace l0 b et ili een the elements to be v t elded t ogether, an uch manner that the weld be unable to fill this space. In this particular case, the lid 6 may be located with advantage by the inside face ll2 of a channel 13 formed in the lid.

It may be useful in some cases, for greater dependability, to use the methods of FIGS. 3 and 4 at the same time, namely to use a strip 7 with gapped weld seams 8a, 8b over a can having an empty space 10 between the eiements to be welded.

Obviously, the foregoing specification for a welded joint is equally applicable to a bonded joint.

It goes without saying that changes may be made to the specific forms of embodiment described hereinabove without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A sealed metal container, in particular in autoclavable can for food and perishable products preservation, comprising: a body portion provided with an opening, a lid over said opening and a strip of metal soldered to said body and said lid to hermetically seal said container, and wherein an extra portion of unsoldered strip is provided for future detaching of the strip from said body and said lid, the improvement wherein the thickness of the metal strip is less than about one tenth of a millimeter.

2. The sealed container of claim I, wherein said metal strip is soldered along its opposite edges respectively to said body and said lid.

3. The sealed container of claim I, wherein said body portion, said lid and said strip are made of tinned steel or iron and the solder is tin-solder.

4. The sealed container of claim 1 wherein the metal strip is coated along its middle with an insulating substance that prevents direct junction of the lid with the body of the container by the solder in cases where the solder is applied over the entire width of the strip.

5. The sealed container of claim I, wherein, in order to avoid a direct joint by the solder the container body provides an empty Space where the joint is effected.

6. The sealed container of claim 1, wherein said metal strip is between about one-tenth to one-twentieth mm. thick. 

1. A sealed metal container, in particular in autoclavable can for food and perishable products preservation, comprising: a body portion provided with an opening, a lid over said opening and a strip of metal soldered to said body and said lid to hermetically seal said container, and wherein an extra portion of unsoldered strip is provided for future detaching of the strip from said body and said lid, the improvement wherein the thickness of the metal strip is less than about one tenth of a millimeter.
 2. The sealed container of claim 1, wherein said metal strip is soldered along its opposite edges respectively to said body and said lid.
 3. The sealed container of claim 1, wherein said body portion, said lid and said strip are made of tinned steel or iron and the solder is tin-solder.
 4. The sealed container of claim 1 wherein the metal strip is coated along its middle with an insulating substance that prevents direct junction of the lid with the body of the container by the solder in cases where the solder is applied over the entire width of the strip.
 5. The sealed container of claim 1, wherein, in order to avoid a direct joint by the solder the container body provides an empty space where the joint is effected.
 6. The sealed container of claim 1, wherein said metal strip is between about one-tenth to one-twentieth mm. thick. 